Tony Ferrari gives an update on 2023 NHL draft-eligible prospects who grew more or less favorable in the past month.

The World Junior Championship has come and gone, the CHL and USHL had their top prospect games and the NHL draft season has officially kicked off.

The analysis of the vast majority of 2023 NHL draft prospects is starting to steady out as the sample sizes reach 30-plus games. Players are beginning to establish themselves in tiers and ranges within the draft class as we pass the midway point of the hockey calendar.

Who moved up? Who moved down? Let’s dive into the mid-season Stock Watch for the NHL draft.

Stock Up: Oliver Moore, C, USA Hockey National Team Development Program (USHL)

The NTDP’s top line of Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, and to a lesser extent, Gabe Perreault has been getting a ton of love this year. But Oliver Moore has been rising up boards and entering the discussion as a top-10 prospect. Moore is one of the more gifted skaters in the draft class, using his blistering speed to attack on the rush.

He centers the U-18 squad’s second line and drives play at a high level because of his penchant for making high-percentage plays. He draws pressure with his skating ability, cutting into space, pulling defenders from their position and then threading the needle. Moore has crafty hands that make him one of the most dangerous players in the class off the rush.

Stock Down: Kasper Halttunen, RW, HIFK (Liiga)

The Finnish prospects for the 2023 draft have disappointed as a whole. Halttunen has played primarily at the Liiga level this season, showcasing his tendency to fall behind the play against higher-end competition. However, he has a good shot and loves playing a physical brand of hockey.

The problems with Halttunen start with his pace and his tendency to chase the physical side of the game. Offensively, Halttunen struggles to keep up, advance play and get into position to use his above-average shot.

I’ve talked about “functional phsyicality” several times when evaluating draft prospects, and Halttunen is the perfect example of what that doesn’t look like. Halttunen often throws hits a second or two after the puck is passed away, essentially taking himself out of the play and exacerbating his pace issues.

Stock Up: Gavin Brindley, RW, University of Michigan (NCAA)

While some thought he was a surprise addition to the American world junior team, Brindley flashed brilliance at times with the U-20 squad. He struggled a bit to produce at the NCAA level before the World Junior Championship, being asked to do more than initially expected coming into the season. Since he’s been back at Michigan, Brindley has put up seven points in six games.

Brindley plays with pace, both on and off the puck. He is a nuisance for the opposing team when they try to break out. Brindley attacks the puck carrier and cuts down angles, forcing them to make passes off balance, often to areas of the ice where Brindley or his teammates can recover it. Brindley is a bit undersized, which is why some discounted his play to this point. But a solid world juniors and more consistent scoring recently brought more eyes on him.

Stock Down: Caden Price, LHD, Kelowna Rockets (WHL)

Tools can only take you so far, and the patience has worn thin on Price. The ups and downs were acceptable early in the season, flashing some excellent puck-moving ability and skating at an admirable size for an NHL prospect.

As the season went on, the flashes became less frequent, while the missteps have been more noticeable.

Price still has some intriguing upside, and it could wind up in him being a late first-rounder.

His decision-making and execution skills need to catch up to his tools. On one shift, Price will evade pressure on a defensive puck retrieval, using a head fake one way before escaping the other and then making a crisp pass out of the zone. The next shift, he will give way and allow the forechecker to recover the puck cleanly. The latter has been the case more often of late.

Stock Up: Tom Willander, RHD, Rogle BK J20 (J20 Nationell)

Quietly moving up boards over the last couple of months, Willander has been one of the most intriguing blueline prospects in Europe. He boasts good size as he stands 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds. He also possesses mobility and tools that could give him an impressive upside despite already ranking as Sweden’s second-highest scoring defender at the J20 level.

Willander plays a calm, cool, and collected game. He spins off opposing forecheckers and escapes pressure, diffusing danger before finding a teammate in the neutral zone. While playing for the Swedish under-18 squad, he routinely showed more confidence with the puck. Willander tends to lean towards a conservative style of play despite having the skill to play a bit more aggressively. He is committed to Boston University, which could be an excellent place to develop more of a killer instinct with the puck.

Stock to Watch: Martin Misiak, C/RW, Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)

After a bit of a will-he, won’t-he saga regarding whether Misiak would make the trek from Slovakia to the USHL, he will join the Youngstown Phantoms shortly. Misiak has flown under the radar while playing in the Slovak pro league this year, but the 18-year-old forward has impressed almost anyone who has watched him.

Misiak plays with pace and forechecks hard, a trait that was quite noticeable against the Canadian U-20 squad at the world juniors, as Misiak and the Slovak squad pushed them to their limits. Misiak displays a blend of work ethic and skill that could make him a very effective middle-six scoring winger. The young Slovak wins battles and moves pucks to high-danger areas in the offensive zone regularly. His arrival in North America will get more eyes on him and allow him to put his full skill set on display against his age group.